A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 11 eBook

Though Spain did not acquire the property of any of
the spice islands, by the enterprising labours of
Magellan (related in our tenth volume, to which we
refer,) yet the discovery made in his expedition to
the Philippine Islands, was thought too considerable
to be neglected; for these were not far distant from
those places which produced spices, and were very
well situated for the Chinese trade, and for the commerce
of other parts of India; and therefore a communication
was soon established, and carefully supported between
these islands and the Spanish colonies on the coast
of Peru: So that the city of Manilla, (which
Was built on the island of Luconia, the chief of the
Philippines) soon became the mart for all Indian commodities,
which were brought up by the inhabitants, and were
annually sent to the South-Seas to be there vended
on their account; and the returns of this commerce
to Manilla being principally made in silver, the place
by degrees grew extremely opulent and considerable,
and its trade so far increased, as to engage the attention
of the court of Spain, and to be frequently controlled
and regulated by royal edicts.

[Footnote 1: Much of the original in this section
is omitted, as either unimportant now; or elsewhere
given in the work.]

In the infancy of this trade, it was carried on from
the port of Callao to the city of Manilla, in which
voyage the trade-wind continually favoured them; so
that notwithstanding these places were distant between
three and four thousand leagues, yet the voyage was
often made in little more than two months: But
then the return from Manilla was extremely troublesome
and tedious, and is said to have sometimes taken them
up above a twelvemonth, which, if they pretended to
ply up within the limits of the trade-wind, is not
at all to be wondered at; and it is asserted, that
in their first voyages they were so imprudent and
unskilful as to attempt this course. However,
that route Was soon laid aside by the advice, as it
is said, of a Jesuit, who persuaded them to steer
to the northward till they got clear of the trade-winds,
and then by the favour of the westerly winds, which
generally prevail in high latitudes, to stretch away
for the coast of California. This has been the
practice for at least a hundred and sixty years past,
(1740-4:) For Sir Thomas Cavendish, in the year 1586,
engaged off the south end of California a vessel bound
from Manilla to the American coast. And it was
in compliance with this new plan of navigation, and
to shorten the run both backwards and forwards, that
the staple of this commerce to and from Manilla was
removed from Callao, on the coast of Peru, to the port
of Acapulco, on the coast of Mexico, where it continues
fixed at this time.

This trade to Acapulco is not laid open to all the
inhabitants of Manilla, but is confined by very particular
regulations, somewhat analogous to those by which
the trade of the register ships from Cadiz to the
West-Indies is restrained.